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Matthew Good’s “Nothing to Hide” tour live in Halifax

Back when reviewing Hospital Music in the summer, I predicted that the album would play better live acoustically than it did on the record. For the most part, I was right – Good’s show last Thursday night at the Marquee Club was engaging, although I can’t help but wish it was in a different venue.

Don’t get me wrong – generally, I love the atmosphere of a sold-out club show, packed like sardines and thriving off each other’s energy. And the Marquee is one of my favourite music venues in town. But you still have to deal with the downsides: drunk girls singing along at the top of their lungs, idiots who keep yelling out for their favourite song to be played and the low murmurs of conversation over the songs that people don’t recognize so well. A loud rock concert is more than able to compensate for such unpleasantness, but at an acoustic show they really detract from the experience. Now, Good had positive things to say about the gig on his blog, but after reading his post about the Fredericton concert in a theatre-style venue, I can’t help but be envious at seeing a comparable show in a more appropriate setting.

As for the show that I did see, Good drew equally from Hospital Music as the rest of his discography, with lots of his most well-known hits and more obscure fan favourites thrown in for good measure. With only a glass of wine and an acoustic guitar to carry the night’s proceeding, Good played for well over two hours, entertaining himself between songs with the Marquee’s viewscreen.

Photos of both Good and opening act Dala (who were easy on both the ears and eyes) for your viewing pleasure, with Good’s setlist below.

Setlist
Girl Wedged Under the Front of A Firebird
I Am Not Safer Than a Bank
Champions of Nothing
Strange Days
Load Me Up
Born Losers
Avalanche
Silent Army in the Trees / Black Helicopter
She’s In It For the Money
Sort of a Protest Song
I’m a Window
99% of Us is Failure
In a World Called Catastrophe
Prime Time Deliverance
Apparitions

encore
North American for Life
Suburbia
Pledge of Allegiance
Keep the Customer Satisfied (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
True Love Will Find You In the End
The Fine Art of Falling Apart